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brown mucus in the morning from throat and occasionally mild ear pain

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louise12570
louise12570

Hi, for the last month I have been waking up in the morning with a lot of irritating mucus in my throat, I have to hack it up and too my big surprise it's brown.... Almost dark brown! Shock! it's only in the morning! The rest of the day I also have a lot of throat mucus but it's clear... occasionally I have some ear pain.. mild.. That has been going on for probably 2 months.. I have been to a ENT 3 times and he scoped me through my nose down to my throat and says everything looks normal.. He looked me in the ears and it looks fine as well.. So I'm thinking what the hells is going on?? I'm so freaked out about this.. that it might be something serious... I don't see how brown mucus is normal so there is obviously something wrong?? Has anyone experienced anything like this? 

1 like, 67 replies

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  • Nanny1086
    Nanny1086 louise12570

    Posted

    I have copd and if I have a chest infection ,,,,a bad chest infection my mucus is coloured either green or brown ,,,,time to send a sputum sample into your doctors to be sent off for analysts to have a look and see if you you have any bugs in your lungs ,
  • michael127
    michael127 louise12570

    Posted

    Hi Louise hun, on this forum sadly age living area helps us . you may live in alaska, 

    that colour kit is unusual see GP ASAP. WITH THROAT TRY WITH THRUSH  AND EASILY TREATED SORRY UR IN PAIN. PROPER DOC NOW. SS WITH CAPS 

    • louise12570
      louise12570 michael127

      Posted

      Well... It doesn't feel like it's comming from my lungs but from my throat.. I'm not coughing it up.. I'm 25 and I'm actually danish and live in Denmark. I just found this website some time ago searching for something else on Google smile when I search on danish nothing really comes up.... My lungs feel fine and I'm not sick or short of breath or anything.. thank you for the replys smile

    • michael127
      michael127 louise12570

      Posted

      HI louse just get down to your gp with a fresh spit bucket. hopefully all other orifices are ok or take a sample sorry to pee & poo early b4 11 wish you well  x
    • viona28
      viona28 louise12570

      Posted

      Hi louise!My daughter 5 has the same problem.Evr.morning spits out brown phlegm without coughing,cince last Oct.Took her to GP several times,but nothing.They said it's not normal,bat they haven't got a clue where it comes from.

    • getoffeffexor2
      getoffeffexor2 louise12570

      Posted

      Hi Louise, Did you ever find out what the brown saliva/mucous is from.  I have it too.  I am male, 61, live in US in Minnesota
  • Ponkmonster1
    Ponkmonster1 louise12570

    Posted

    Hi I have the same problem but not so much the ear ache. Wake in morning first thing I need to do is hack thick mucus from throat sometimes it feels as if it pulling downwards. The hacking slows down through the morning. The mucus/ phlegm can be brown, green or clear or white but always thick. When I exercise and become dry mouthed this causes heaving. Im a life long non smoker. I never cough like you sometimes eating brings on chest congestion. Had lung function tests , xray, ct and full lung function. Only low reading was fef 25/75 @71%. White phlegm sometimes can be seen on my throat had this issue 2 yrs now. It does effect my life and can be embarrassing when your hacking and removing phlegm. Please update blog as you find out more or just want to discuss issue.
    • louise12570
      louise12570 Ponkmonster1

      Posted

      Hi.. Try a neti pot to rinse your sinus with salt water.. My ENT said I should try it and it has really helped.. I have no brown mucus in the morning anymore and I have only been doing it for a couple of days and I will definitely continue.. All the mucus during the day is also gone so I don't have to hack it up

      all the time esespecially in the mornings.. seriously try it out.. I didn't thought it would help but it really has.. :-D

  • nafeeza786
    nafeeza786 louise12570

    Posted

    Yes! brown mucus is because it contains blood particles, which means a serious lung infection. Don”t ignore it. Do you smoke? as it is very familiar to smokers, since they see it every morning when they wake up. Mucus can also turn brown because of heavy air pollution.  Please consult some good Doctor!
    • louise12570
      louise12570 nafeeza786

      Posted

      Brown mucus from the throat in the morning does not have to be something infectious or blood... And in my case it's not any of it.. And I do not smoke.. If you have post nasal drip when you sleep and mucus is collecting in the throat during the night it can become thick and brown in some cases.. My ENT has advised me to use a neti pot to rinse my sinuses with salt water every night before sleep and it has absolutely helped a lot! I don't have the thick mucus in my throat all the time anymore and it's not brown in the morning anymore...
    • louise12570
      louise12570 nafeeza786

      Posted

      If you not coughing the phlegm/mucus up but just pulling it downwards and hacking it up from the throat then it dosent have to be something with the lungs but could be a sinus problem with post nasal drip without you even know it... 2 ENT doc have told me that and I first didn't believed it , but that's the case with me.. but in any case it should be checked out by a doctor because the causes are many smile
    • Ponkmonster1
      Ponkmonster1 louise12570

      Posted

      Im a non smoker and never smoked. I never cough but as you say hack it up. With the amount of mucus I bring up surely if it was on my lungs id feel it. First thing in the morning it does feel a little just below the neck but this msy because ive been lying down all night. I was given a steriod nasal spray but this seemed to damage my nasal passages causing regular nose bleeds. I will try a nasl wash was this very effective for you.
    • Ponkmonster1
      Ponkmonster1

      Posted

      2 chest cts and numerous spirometrys plus one full lung function test all normal. When I looked at the full lung function the only abnormal result which I mentioned to consultant was the fef 25/75 which was 71% predicted on the border of being abnormal. he said not.
    • Ponkmonster1
      Ponkmonster1

      Posted

      My dclo and dclo/va where well above normal to which would eliminate a lot of diseases.
    • louise12570
      louise12570 Ponkmonster1

      Posted

      The nasal wash has been very effective for me. The mucus is not brown anymore and I feel a lot better in my throat in the morning.

      I dont have to hack mucus up all the time. I'm very surprised what salt water can do :-) I was really worried about the brown color , but it's obviously some kind of sinus problem. Try it! I think it will help :-)

    • jermaine_93568
      jermaine_93568 Ponkmonster1

      Posted

      It happens in the morning, after you've been breathing the air in the same spot for 6-8 hours. Could it be environmental maybe?

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